Concurrent uses of non-cellular interfaces for participating in hybrid cellular and non-cellular networks

ABSTRACT

The subject matter describes software, devices, networks, and methods to configure a non-cellular interface of a wireless device to establish two or more wireless links in a hybrid of cellular network and a non-cellular network. The advantage of concurrent uses of non-cellular interfaces maximizes the use of computing and communication resources to perform multi-hop communication and to expand the coverage of cellular networks.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a divisional application of Ser. No. 14/092,446,filed Nov. 27, 2013; the entire contents of which are hereinincorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Cellular communications have gained much popularity since 1990s.Traditionally, cellular networks are connected to public switchedtelephone network (PSTN) and are dedicated to voice communications. Withadvance packet switching technologies, any raw signals can be formed inpackets which can flow from the sender to the destination via thecellular networks and non-cellular networks. On the other hand, themanufacturing cost of cell phones, or mobile phones, has decreasedsignificantly, so mobile phones become affordable. It is believed thatthe mobile phones have penetrated more than 85% of the globalpopulation. Furthermore, more functionalities are added to mobilephones, leading the boundaries between mobile phones and personalcomputing devices to disappear. Many mobiles phones now becomesmartphones or personal mobile computers. The smartphones allowsubscribers not only to talk but also to enjoy the use of the Internet.

Due to a large volume of subscribers using smartphones, the demand ofcellular transmission increases exponentially. However, the bandwidthsof cellular networks are limited. A typical solution to the problem ofbandwidth deficiency is to install more cellular base stations.Nevertheless, in the greater metropolitan areas, e.g., New York City,Chicago, Los Angeles, London, and Tokyo, there are sparse or no spacesto install more cellular base stations. Even though installing more basestations is feasible, users located at the “marginal-to-inoperativeregions,” such as the coverage edges of base stations, hilly terrain,concrete walls, or tall buildings, still face weak or blocked signals.As a sequel, a new way to increase the cellular coverage is necessary.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Advantages of the subject matter described herein utilize non-cellularinterfaces in a wireless device to concurrently perform multiplewireless connections. Non-cellular networks, such as wireless local areanetworks, Bluetooth networks and the Internet, are ubiquitous and arealso directly or indirectly connected with cellular networks. Thesubject matter described herein exploits the hybrid of cellular andnon-cellular networks to expand the coverage of cellular base stations.When a wireless device participates in a hybrid network, the subjectmethod can configure the device's non-cellular interface to originate orrelay a cellular communication via hopping on the non-cellular network,without interrupting an existing non-cellular connection of the device.The concurrent uses of the non-cellular interface maximize theutilization of its computing and communication resources to expand thecellular coverage.

In one aspect, disclosed herein are non-transitory computer-readablestorage media encoded with a computer program including instructionsexecutable by a mobile processor to create an application comprising:(a) a first software module configuring a non-cellular interface forestablishing a first wireless link between the non-cellular interfaceand a non-cellular access point, and (b) a second software moduleconfiguring the non-cellular interface and a cellular interface forrelaying a cellular communication between an originating wireless deviceand a cellular base station, wherein relaying the cellular communicationcomprises (i) establishing and maintaining a second wireless linkbetween the non-cellular interface and the originating wireless device;(ii) establishing and maintaining an internal bridge between the secondnon-cellular virtual interface and the cellular interface; and (iii)establishing and maintaining a third wireless link between the cellularinterface and a cellular base station.

In another aspect, disclosed herein is a wireless device on a hybrid ofa cellular network and a non-cellular network comprising: (a) a cellularinterface, (b) a non-cellular interface, and (c) a processor configuredto provide an application comprising: (i) a first software moduleconfiguring the non-cellular interface for establishing a first wirelesslink between the non-cellular interface and a non-cellular access point;and (ii) a second software module configuring the non-cellular interfaceand the cellular interface for relaying a cellular communication betweenan originating wireless device and a cellular base station, whereinrelaying the cellular communication comprises: (1) establishing andmaintaining a second wireless link between the non-cellular interfaceand the originating wireless device; (2) establishing and maintaining aninternal transfer between the second non-cellular virtual interface andthe cellular interface; and (3) establishing and maintaining a thirdwireless link between the cellular interface and a cellular basestation.

In another aspect, disclosed herein are non-transitory computer-readablestorage media encoded with a computer program including instructionsexecutable by a mobile processor to create an application comprising:(a) a first software module configuring a non-cellular interface forestablishing and maintaining a first wireless link between thenon-cellular interface and a non-cellular access point; and (b) a secondsoftware module configuring the non-cellular interface for originatingand maintaining a cellular communication between the non-cellularinterface and a relaying wireless device, wherein originating thecellular communication comprises: (i) establishing and maintaining asecond wireless link between the non-cellular interface and the relayingwireless device; and (ii) requesting the relaying wireless device toestablish and maintain the cellular communication between the relayingwireless device and a cellular base station.

In another aspect, disclosed herein is a wireless device on a hybrid ofa cellular network and a non-cellular network comprising: (a) a cellularinterface; (b) a non-cellular interface; and (c) a processor configuredto provide an application comprising: (i) a first software moduleconfiguring the non-cellular interface for establishing and maintaininga first wireless link between the non-cellular interface and anon-cellular access point; and (ii) a second software module configuringthe non-cellular interface for originating and maintaining a cellularcommunication between the non-cellular interface and a relaying wirelessdevice, wherein originating the cellular communication comprises: (1)establishing and maintaining a second wireless link between thenon-cellular interface and the relaying wireless device; and (2)requesting the relaying wireless device to establish and maintain thecellular communication between the relaying wireless device and acellular base station.

In another aspect, disclosed herein are non-transitory computer-readablestorage media encoded with a computer program including instructionsexecutable by a mobile processor to create an application comprising: afirst software module configuring a non-cellular interface for bridginga cellular communication between an originating wireless device and arelaying wireless device, wherein bridging the cellular communicationcomprises: (a) establishing and maintaining a first wireless linkbetween the non-cellular interface and the originating wireless device;(b) establishing and maintaining a second wireless link between thenon-cellular interface and the relaying wireless device; (c)establishing and maintaining an internal transfer between the first andthe second wireless links, wherein the wireless links use differentcommunication protocols; and (d) requesting the relaying wireless deviceto establish and maintain the cellular communication between therelaying wireless device and a cellular base station.

In another aspect, disclosed herein is a wireless device on a hybrid ofa cellular network and a non-cellular network comprising: (a) a cellularinterface; (b) a non-cellular interface; and (c) a processor configuredto provide an application comprising a first software module configuringthe non-cellular interface for bridging a cellular communication betweenan originating wireless device and a relaying wireless device, whereinbridging the cellular communication comprises: (i) establishing andmaintaining a first wireless link between the non-cellular interface andthe originating wireless device; (ii) establishing and maintaining asecond wireless link between the non-cellular interface and the relayingwireless device; (iii) establishing and maintaining an internal transferbetween the first and the second wireless links, wherein the wirelesslinks use different protocols; and (iv) requesting the relaying wirelessdevice to establish and maintain the cellular communication between therelaying wireless device and a cellular base station.

In another aspect, disclosed herein are non-transitory computer-readablestorage media encoded with a computer program including instructionsexecutable by a mobile processor to create an application comprising:(a) a first software module configuring a non-cellular interface forestablishing and maintaining a first wireless link between thenon-cellular interface and a non-cellular access point; and (b) a secondsoftware module configuring the non-cellular interface for bridging acellular communication between an originating wireless device and arelaying wireless device, wherein bridging the cellular communicationcomprises: (i) establishing a second wireless link between thenon-cellular interface and the originating wireless device; (ii)establishing and maintaining a third wireless link between thenon-cellular interface and the relaying wireless device; (iii)establishing and maintaining an internal transfer between the second andthe third wireless links; and (iv) requesting the relaying wirelessdevice to establish and maintain the cellular communication between therelaying wireless device and a cellular base station.

In another aspect, disclosed herein is a wireless device on a hybrid ofa cellular network and a non-cellular network comprising: (a) a cellularinterface; (b) a non-cellular interface; and (c) a processor configuredto provide an application comprising: (i) a first software moduleconfiguring the non-cellular interface for establishing and maintaininga first wireless link between the non-cellular interface and anon-cellular access point; (ii) a second software module configuring andmaintaining the non-cellular interface for bridging a cellularcommunication between an originating wireless device and a relayingwireless device, wherein bridging the cellular communication comprises:(1) establishing and maintaining a second wireless link between thenon-cellular interface and the originating wireless device; (2)establishing and maintaining a third wireless link between thenon-cellular interface and the relaying wireless device; (3)establishing and maintaining an internal transfer between the second andthe third wireless links; and (4) requesting the relaying wirelessdevice to establish and maintain the cellular communication between therelaying wireless device and a cellular base station.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an illustrative non-limiting example of multi-task utilizationof non-cellular, cellular or beacon interfaces; in this case, eachinterface hosts two or more modules (called virtual interfaces) whichestablish and maintain wireless links in a hybrid network.

FIG. 2 is an illustrative non-limiting example of a sink device in amulti-hop, hybrid communication system; in this case, a sink wirelessdevice used the non-cellular interface to concurrently relay a cellularcommunication and connect to a Wi-Fi base station.

FIG. 3 is an illustrative non-limiting example of a sink device in amulti-hop, hybrid communication system; in this case, a sink wirelessdevice used the non-cellular interface to concurrently relay a cellularcommunication and connect to a Wi-Fi base station and used a beaconinterface to send/receive beacon signals.

FIG. 4 is an illustrative non-limiting example of an originating devicein a multi-hop, hybrid communication system; in this case, anoriginating wireless device used the non-cellular interface toconcurrently originate a cellular communication and connect to a Wi-Fibase station.

FIG. 5 is an illustrative non-limiting example of an originating devicein a multi-hop, hybrid communication system; in this case, anoriginating wireless device used the non-cellular interface toconcurrently originate a cellular communication and connect to a Wi-Fibase station and used a beacon interface to send/receive beacon signals.

FIG. 6 is an illustrative non-limiting example of a relaying device in amulti-hop, hybrid communication system; in this case, a relayingwireless device used the non-cellular interface to concurrentlyestablish two wireless links running different protocols.

FIG. 7 is an illustrative non-limiting example of a relaying device in amulti-hop, hybrid communication system; in this case, a relayingwireless device used the non-cellular interface to concurrentlyestablish two wireless links running different protocols and used abeacon interface to send/receive beacon signals.

FIG. 8 is an illustrative non-limiting example of a relaying device in amulti-hop, hybrid communication system; in this case, a relayingwireless device used the non-cellular interface to concurrently relay acellular communication and connect to a Wi-Fi base station.

FIG. 9 is an illustrative non-limiting example of a relaying device in amulti-hop, hybrid communication system; in this case, a relayingwireless device used the non-cellular interface to concurrently relay acellular communication and connect to a Wi-Fi base station and used abeacon interface to send/receive beacon signals.

FIG. 10 is an illustrative non-limiting example of a relaying device ina multi-hop, hybrid communication system; in this case, a relayingwireless device used the non-cellular interface to concurrently relay acellular communication running two different protocols and connect to aWi-Fi base station.

FIG. 11 is an illustrative non-limiting example of a relaying device ina multi-hop, hybrid communication system; in this case, a relayingwireless device used the non-cellular interface to concurrently relay acellular communication running two different protocols and connect to aWi-Fi base station and further used a beacon interface to send/receivebeacon signals.

FIG. 12 is an illustrative non-limiting example of a relaying device ina multi-hop, hybrid communication system; in this case, a relayingwireless device used the non-cellular interface to (i) concurrentlyrelay a cellular communication and connect to a Wi-Fi base station,where three wireless links ran different protocols.

FIG. 13 is an illustrative non-limiting example of a relaying device ina multi-hop, hybrid communication system; in this case, a relayingwireless device used the non-cellular interface to (i) concurrentlyrelay a cellular communication and connect to a Wi-Fi base station,where three wireless links ran different protocols; and (ii) used abeacon interface to send/receive beacon signals.

FIG. 14 shows an embodiment of a multi-hop, hybrid network deploymentwhere wireless devices concurrently utilized Wi-Fi interfaces andcellular interfaces for wireless communications; in this case, 50wireless devices with concurrent uses of Wi-Fi interfaces were deployedin a laboratory.

FIG. 15 shows signal strengths of the wireless devices deployed in anon-limiting example of a multi-hop, hybrid network where wirelessdevices concurrently utilized Wi-Fi interfaces and cellular interfacesfor wireless communications; in this case, the wireless devices wereautomatically designated as sink devices, relaying devices, ororiginating devices, and all devices under concurrent uses of Wi-Fiinterfaces generated better strength than the baseline wireless devices.

FIG. 16 shows signal strengths of the originating wireless devicesdeployed in a non-limiting example of a multi-hop, hybrid network wherewireless devices concurrently utilized Wi-Fi interfaces and cellularinterfaces for wireless communications; in this case, the wirelessdevices were automatically designated as sink devices, relaying devices,or originating devices, and the originating devices under concurrentuses of Wi-Fi interfaces generated better strength than the baselineoriginating devices.

FIG. 17 is a plot of signal gains in individual wireless devicesdeployed in a non-limiting example of a self-configuring multi-hop,hybrid network where wireless devices concurrently utilized Wi-Fiinterfaces and cellular interfaces for wireless communications; in thiscase, the wireless devices were automatically configured as sinkdevices, relaying devices, or originating devices, and average signalgain was 9 dB.

FIG. 18 shows an embodiment of a multi-hop, hybrid network deploymentwhere wireless devices concurrently utilized Wi-Fi interfaces andcellular interfaces for wireless communications; in this case, 30wireless devices with concurrent uses of Wi-Fi interfaces were deployedin a laboratory.

FIG. 19 plots empirical channel capacities in a non-limiting example ofa multi-hop, hybrid network deployment where wireless devicesconcurrently utilized Wi-Fi interfaces and cellular interfaces forwireless communications; in this case, the subject matter describedherein achieved a greater channel capacity than the baseline by 13.7%.

FIG. 20 plots percentage of modulation schemes used in a non-limitingexample of a multi-hop, hybrid network deployment where wireless devicesconcurrently utilized Wi-Fi interfaces and cellular interfaces forwireless communications; in this case, a higher level of modulationscheme (64-QAM) was automatically selected more frequently in thesubject matter to achieve a high data transmission rate.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Cellular communications have gained much popularity since 1990s. Theprinciple of cellular communications is to divide a broad land area intoa number of regular shaped cells, for example hexagonal, square, orcircular shapes. Each of the cells is assigned one or more cellular basestations or cellular towers as hubs to manage wireless connectivitybetween mobile phones (or called cell phones) and the base stations. Thebase stations are further connected to public switched telephone network(PSTN), so traditionally the mobile phones in cellular networks werededicated to voice communications.

With the advent of packet switching technologies, raw signals (e.g.,voice) can be formed in packets which can flow from a sender to adestination without a direct link between the sender and thedestination. When cellular networks are deployed with packet switchingtechnologies, a mobile computing device can connect to the Internet orother data networks via a data cellular network. Thanks to modernsemiconductor engineering, the sizes of electronic circuitries keepshrinking When a mobile phone is equipped with electronic chips forhandling traditional cellular networks and data cellular networks, theboundary between mobile phone and mobile computing device becomesillusive. Most modern mobile phones are also mobile computing devices.

The manufacturing cost of mobile devices has decreased significantly.Mobile devices become affordable to the general public. It is believedthat the mobile devices have penetrated more than 85% of the globalpopulation. With a dramatically increasing number of mobile deviceusers, telecommunication providers face a challenge to expand theircoverage. Moreover, more functionalities (e.g., camera, web search,emails, maps, Internet surfing) have been added to mobile phones andmobile devices. Mobile device users demand more bandwidths to enjoy theadded functionalities. Such a demand compounds the challenge faced bythe telecommunication providers.

To address the surging bandwidth demand in cellular networks, a typicalsolution is to install more cellular base stations. Nevertheless, in thegreater metropolitan areas, by way of non-limiting examples, such as NewYork City, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, and Tokyo, there are sparse orno spaces to install more cellular base stations. Even though in thecases where installing more base stations is feasible, users located atthe “marginal-to-inoperative regions,” such as the cell edges of basestations, hilly terrain, concrete walls, or tall buildings, still faceweak or blocked signals. In particular, the cellular signals at a celledge not only are weak but also encounter interference induced byadjacent cells, leading to a more serious problem. As a sequel, a newway to increase the cellular coverage is necessary.

In typical cellular communication systems, a mobile device directlycommunicates with a cellular base station. In other words, the deviceconnects to the cellular base station via a “single hop,” where thesignals are transmitted and received directly between the device and thecellular base station without being mediated or relayed through anintermediary device. Based on the single hopping communication, themaximum number of mobile phones simultaneously connecting to the basestation is limited because the bandwidth of the base station is limited.Although sophisticated schemes of modulation and error-correcting codescan be adopted, the data rates need to be sacrificed.

In addition to cellular networks, there exist various non-cellularwireless networks, for instance, but not limited to, wireless local areanetworks, wireless wide area networks, Bluetooth networks, and ingeneral the Internet. Modern technologies allow both cellular interfaceand non-cellular interface to be embedded in a mobile device. In otherwords, a modern mobile device can participate in a cellular network viathe cellular interface, or participate in a non-cellular network via thenon-cellular interface. While the two interfaces independently sit inthe same mobile device, the subject matter described herein exploitsboth types of interfaces to expand the coverage of cellular networks.

The subject matter described herein solves the aforementioned problemsby using multi-hop schemes in a hybrid of cellular networks andnon-cellular networks. The subject matter can be applied to someembodiments of not only mobile devices but also generic wirelessdevices. To expand the coverage of a cellular communication system, afirst wireless device with a poor cellular signal may use itsnon-cellular interface to communicate to a second wireless device whichhas a good cellular signal and relays the signals from the firstwireless device to the cellular base station. In such embodiments, thecellular resources, such as data rate and bandwidth, of the secondwireless device is shared with the first wireless device. The firstwireless device successfully communicates to the cellular base stationvia two hops: hopping to the second wireless device that in turn hops tothe cellular base station. The “double-hop” connectivity in theseembodiments can be extended to a “multi-hop” connectivity. For example,the first wireless device can hop to the second wireless device, then toa third wireless device, and finally to a cellular base station. Thenumber of hops can be as many as possible, as long as some criteria aresatisfied, by way of non-limiting examples, such as battery life, noiselevel, interference level, data rate, and bandwidth.

The subject matter described herein can further maximize the resourcesof the non-cellular interfaces by performing concurrent tasks on thenon-cellular interfaces. In a hybrid, multi-hop network, a wirelessdevice may have a different role: a sink device, an originating device,and a relaying device. A sink device is a wireless device that has adirect link to a cellular base station. An originating device is awireless device that has no optimal single-hop wireless link to acellular base station and that is an end terminal in the path of hoppingto the cellular base station. A relaying device is a wireless devicethat is an intermediary device in a hopping path. No matter which role awireless device plays, its non-cellular interface can be configured toperform more than one task. In a sink device, it can relay a hoppingsignal to a cellular base station while connecting itself to anon-cellular access point. Alternatively, a sink device may concurrentlyrelay two or more hopping devices. In an originating device, it hops toanother relaying/sink device while connecting itself to a non-cellularaccess point. In a relaying device, its non-cellular interface is usedto establish an upstream link and a downstream link to complete ahopping path; furthermore, the relaying device can connect itself to anon-cellular access point.

Advantages of the subject matter described herein utilize non-cellularinterfaces in a wireless device to concurrently perform multiplewireless connections. Non-cellular networks, such as wireless local areanetworks, Bluetooth networks and the Internet, are ubiquitous and arealso directly or indirectly connected with cellular networks. Thesubject matter exploits the hybrid of cellular and non-cellular networksto expand the coverage of cellular base stations. When a wireless deviceparticipates in a hybrid network, the subject method can configure thedevice's non-cellular interface to originate or relay a cellularcommunication via hopping on the non-cellular network, withoutinterrupting an existing non-cellular connection of the originatingdevice or of the relaying device. The concurrent uses of thenon-cellular interface maximize the utilization of its computing andcommunication resources to expand the cellular coverage.

In some embodiments, described herein are non-transitorycomputer-readable storage media encoded with a computer programincluding instructions executable by a mobile processor of a sinkwireless device to create an application comprising: (1) a firstsoftware module configuring a non-cellular interface for establishingand maintaining a first wireless link between the non-cellular interfaceand a non-cellular access point; (2) a second software moduleconfiguring the non-cellular interface and a cellular interface forrelaying a cellular communication between a downstream wireless deviceand a cellular base station, wherein relaying the cellular communicationcomprises: (i) establishing and maintaining a second wireless linkbetween the non-cellular interface and the downstream wireless device;(ii) establishing and maintaining an internal bridge between the secondnon-cellular virtual interface and the cellular interface; and (iii)establishing and maintaining a third wireless link between the cellularinterface and a cellular base station.

In some embodiments, described herein is a sink wireless device on ahybrid of a cellular network and a non-cellular network comprising: (a)a cellular interface; (b) a non-cellular interface; (c) a processorconfigured to provide an application comprising: (i) a first softwaremodule configuring the non-cellular interface for establishing andmaintaining a first wireless link between the non-cellular interface anda non-cellular access point; (ii) a second software module configuringthe non-cellular interface and the cellular interface for relaying acellular communication between a downstream wireless device and acellular base station, wherein relaying the cellular communicationcomprises: (1) establishing and maintaining a second wireless linkbetween the non-cellular interface and the downstream wireless device;(2) establishing and maintaining an internal bridge between the secondnon-cellular virtual interface and the cellular interface; and (3)establishing and maintaining a third wireless link between the cellularinterface and a cellular base station.

In some embodiments, described herein are non-transitorycomputer-readable storage media encoded with a computer programincluding instructions executable by a mobile processor of anoriginating device to create an application comprising: (a) a firstsoftware module configuring a non-cellular interface for establishingand maintaining a first wireless link between the non-cellular interfaceand a non-cellular access point; (b) a second software moduleconfiguring the non-cellular interface for originating a cellularcommunication between the non-cellular interface and a relaying wirelessdevice, wherein originating the cellular communication comprises: (i)establishing and maintaining a second wireless link between thenon-cellular interface and the relaying wireless device; (ii) requestingthe relaying wireless device to establish and maintain the cellularcommunication between the originating wireless device and a cellularbase station.

In some embodiments, described herein is an originating wireless deviceon a hybrid of a cellular network and a non-cellular network comprising:(a) a cellular interface; (b) a non-cellular interface; (c) a processorconfigured to provide an application comprising: (i) a first softwaremodule configuring the non-cellular interface for establishing andmaintaining a first wireless link between the non-cellular interface anda non-cellular access point; (ii) a second software module configuringthe non-cellular interface for originating a cellular communicationbetween the non-cellular interface and the originating wireless device,wherein originating the cellular communication comprises: (1)establishing and maintaining a second wireless link between thenon-cellular interface and the relaying wireless device; (2) requestingthe relaying wireless device to establish and maintain the cellularcommunication between the originating wireless device and a cellularbase station.

In some embodiments, described herein are non-transitorycomputer-readable storage media encoded with a computer programincluding instructions executable by a mobile processor of a relayingwireless device to create an application comprising a software moduleconfiguring a non-cellular interface for bridging a cellularcommunication between a downstream wireless device and an upstreamwireless device, wherein bridging the cellular communication comprises:(a) establishing and maintaining a first wireless link between thenon-cellular interface and the downstream wireless device; (b)establishing and maintaining a second wireless link between thenon-cellular interface and the upstream wireless device; (c)establishing and maintaining an internal transfer between the first andthe second wireless links, wherein the wireless links use differentprotocols; and (d) requesting the upstream wireless device to establishand maintain the cellular communication between the upstream wirelessdevice and a cellular base station.

In some embodiments, described herein is a relaying wireless device on ahybrid of a cellular network and a non-cellular network comprising: (a)a cellular interface; (b) a non-cellular interface; (c) a processorconfigured to provide an application comprising a first software moduleconfiguring the non-cellular interface for bridging a cellularcommunication between a downstream wireless device and an upstreamwireless device, wherein bridging the cellular communication comprises:(i) establishing and maintaining a first wireless link between thenon-cellular interface and the downstream wireless device; (ii)establishing and maintaining a second wireless link between thenon-cellular interface and the upstream wireless device; (iii)establishing and maintaining an internal transfer between the first andthe second wireless links, wherein the wireless links use differentprotocols; and (iv) requesting the upstream wireless device to establishand maintain the cellular communication between the upstream wirelessdevice and a cellular base station.

In some embodiments, described herein are non-transitorycomputer-readable storage media encoded with a computer programincluding instructions executable by a mobile processor of a relayingwireless device to create an application comprising: (a) a firstsoftware module configuring a non-cellular interface for establishingand maintaining a first wireless link between the non-cellular interfaceand a non-cellular access point; (b) a second software moduleconfiguring the non-cellular interface for bridging a cellularcommunication between a downstream wireless device and an upstreamwireless device, wherein bridging the cellular communication comprises:(i) establishing and maintaining a second wireless link between thenon-cellular interface and the downstream wireless device; (ii)establishing and maintaining a third wireless link between thenon-cellular interface and the upstream wireless device; (iii)establishing and maintaining an internal transfer between the second andthe third wireless links; and (iv) requesting the upstream wirelessdevice to establish and maintain the cellular communication between theupstream wireless device and a cellular base station.

In some embodiments, described herein is a relaying wireless device on ahybrid of a cellular network and a non-cellular network comprising: (a)a cellular interface; (b) a non-cellular interface; (c) a processorconfigured to provide an application comprising: (i) a first softwaremodule configuring the non-cellular interface for establishing andmaintaining a first wireless link between the non-cellular interface anda non-cellular access point; (ii) a second software module configuringthe non-cellular interface for bridging a cellular communication betweena downstream wireless device and an upstream wireless device, whereinbridging the cellular communication comprises: (1) establishing andmaintaining a second wireless link between the non-cellular interfaceand the downstream wireless device; (2) establishing and maintaining athird wireless link between the non-cellular interface and the upstreamwireless device; (3) establishing and maintaining an internal transferbetween the second and the third wireless links; and (4) requesting theupstream wireless device to establish and maintain the cellularcommunication between the upstream wireless device and a cellular basestation.

Certain Definitions

Unless otherwise defined, all technical terms used herein have the samemeaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art towhich this invention belongs. As used in this specification and theappended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include pluralreferences unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Any referenceto “or” herein is intended to encompass “and/or” unless otherwisestated.

Wireless Device

In some embodiments, the media, devices, networks, systems, and methodsdescribed herein include one or more wireless devices. Suitable wirelessdevices are, by way of non-limiting examples, mobile phones, mobilecomputing devices, smartphones, portable computers, tablet computers,mobile computers, hot spots, routers, gateways, switches, cameras, audiorecorders, video recorders, music players, video players, portableelectronic devices, and wearable electronic devices. Alternatively, thewireless devices may be non-portable devices containing cellularinterfaces and/or non-cellular interfaces; by way of a non-limitingexample, a computing device in a data center may have an adaptor forcellular communication and another adaptor for non-cellularcommunication.

In some embodiments, a wireless device used by the subject matterdescribed herein is equipped with a non-cellular interface only; i.e.,the device doesn't comprise a cellular interface. With appropriateconfiguration, the wireless device can utilize the non-cellularinterface to establish two concurrent wireless links. For instance,mobile computing devices (e.g., iPads) equipped with only non-cellularinterfaces (e.g., Wi-Fi chipsets) may be embodied. In furtherembodiments, the wireless device can use the non-cellular interface as abeacon interface to transmit and receive beacon signals.

In some embodiments, the wireless devices on a hybrid network describedin the subject matter are of the same type. By way of limiting examples,the wireless devices could be all mobile phones, or portable computers.In other embodiments, the types of the wireless devices on a hybridnetwork are mixed. For instance, by way of a non-limiting example, awireless device may be a smartphone, another wireless device may be alaptop, and another wireless device may be a Wi-Fi hot spot.

In some embodiments, the media, devices, networks, systems, and methodsdescribed herein include a wireless device equipped with a digitalprocessor, or use of the same. In further embodiments, the digitalprocessor includes one or more hardware central processing units (CPU)that carry out the device's functions. In still further embodiments, thedigital processor further comprises an operating system configured toperform executable instructions.

In some embodiments, the wireless device includes an operating systemconfigured to perform executable instructions. The operating system is,for example, software, including programs and data, which manages thedevice's hardware and provides services for execution of applications.Those of skill in the art will recognize that suitable server operatingsystems include, by way of non-limiting examples, FreeBSD, OpenBSD,NetBSD®, Linux, Apple® Mac OS X Server®, Oracle® Solaris®, WindowsServer®, and Novell® NetWare®. Those of skill in the art will recognizethat suitable personal computer operating systems include, by way ofnon-limiting examples, Microsoft® Windows®, Apple® Mac OS X®, UNIX®, andUNIX-like operating systems such as GNU/Linux®. In some embodiments, theoperating system is provided by cloud computing. Those of skill in theart will also recognize that suitable mobile smart phone operatingsystems include, by way of non-limiting examples, Nokia® Symbian® OS,Apple® iOS®, Research In Motion® BlackBerry OS®, Google® Android®,Microsoft® Windows Phone® OS, Microsoft® Windows Mobile® OS, Linux®, andPalm® WebOS®.

In some embodiments, the wireless device includes a storage and/ormemory device. The storage and/or memory device is one or more physicalapparatuses used to store data or programs on a temporary or permanentbasis. In some embodiments, the storage device is volatile memory andrequires power to maintain stored information. In some embodiments, thedevice is non-volatile memory and retains stored information when thewireless device is not powered. In further embodiments, the non-volatilememory comprises flash memory. In some embodiments, the non-volatilememory comprises dynamic random-access memory (DRAM). In someembodiments, the non-volatile memory comprises ferroelectric randomaccess memory (FRAM). In some embodiments, the non-volatile memorycomprises phase-change random access memory (PRAM). In otherembodiments, the storage device includes, by way of non-limitingexamples, CD-ROMs, DVDs, flash memory devices, magnetic disk drives,magnetic tapes drives, optical disk drives, and cloud computing basedstorage. In further embodiments, the storage and/or memory device is acombination of devices such as those disclosed herein.

In some embodiments, the wireless device includes a display to sendvisual information to a user. In some embodiments, the display is acathode ray tube (CRT). In some embodiments, the display is a liquidcrystal display (LCD). In further embodiments, the display is a thinfilm transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD). In some embodiments,the display is an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display. Invarious further embodiments, on OLED display is a passive-matrix OLED(PMOLED) or active-matrix OLED (AMOLED) display. In some embodiments,the display is a plasma display. In other embodiments, the display is avideo projector. In still further embodiments, the display is acombination of devices such as those disclosed herein.

In some embodiments, the wireless device includes an input device toreceive information from a user. In some embodiments, the input deviceis a keyboard. In some embodiments, the input device is a pointingdevice including, by way of non-limiting examples, a mouse, trackball,track pad, joystick, game controller, or stylus. In some embodiments,the input device is a touch screen or a multi-touch screen. In otherembodiments, the input device is a microphone to capture voice or othersound input. In other embodiments, the input device is a video camera tocapture motion or visual input. In still further embodiments, the inputdevice is a combination of devices such as those disclosed herein.

Interface

In some embodiments, the media, devices, networks, systems, and methodsdescribed herein include using an interface for cellular, non-cellular,and/or beaconing communications. An interface is a hardware module,implemented by an electronic circuitry, to generate and receive anelectromagnetic wave. In some cases, the implementation of the interfacebelongs to part of an electronic circuitry. By way of a non-limitingexample, the electromagnetic wave may be a radiofrequency wave, a lightbeam, or an infrared wave. In some cases, the interface may furtherinclude an electronic circuitry for controlling the electromagneticwaveform modulation, demodulation, encoding, decoding, generation,and/or receiving. The controlling mechanisms may be implemented by ahardware module, by a software module, or by a combination of hardwareand software modules.

In cellular communications, a cellular interface is the interface forconnecting a device to a cellular base station. The cellular interfaceis able to perform a cellular communication with a required protocol. Insome embodiments, the cellular interface may be dynamically configuredto execute distinct cellular communication technologies and protocols,by way of non-limiting examples, such as Global System for MobileCommunications (GSM), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Enhanced DataRates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), Universal Mobile TelecommunicationsSystem (UMTS), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Wideband CodeDivision Multiple Access (W-CDMA), High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), LongTerm Evolution (LTE), Long Term Evolution Advanced (LTE Advance), LongTerm Evolution Direct (LTE Direct), and Worldwide Interoperability forMicrowave Access (WiMAX).

In some embodiments, the media, devices, networks, systems, and methodsdescribed herein include using a non-cellular interface for non-cellularnetwork connections. The non-cellular interface is able to perform arequired protocol to connect itself to another device in a non-cellularnetwork. In the industry of information technology, non-cellularinterfaces are frequently referred to as wireless interfaces. Examplesof non-cellular networks include, but not limited to, wireless localarea networks, wireless wide area networks, Bluetooth networks, andinfrared networks. In some embodiments, the non-cellular interface maybe dynamically configured to execute one or more distinct non-cellularcommunication technologies and protocols, by way of non-limitingexamples, such as IEEE 802.11 standards, IEEE 802.16 standards, AP/STAprotocols, Independent Basic Service Set (IBSS), Peer-to-Peer (P2P),P2P-GO/P2P-Client, Long Term Evolution Direct (LTE Direct), WorldwideInteroperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), IEEE 802.16, MobileMulti-Hop Relay (MMR) Bluetooth, and FlashLinQ.

In some embodiments, the media, devices, networks, systems, and methodsdescribed herein include using a beacon interface for sending andreceiving beacon signals. In certain embodiments, the beacon interfaceis the same as a non-cellular interface, or a cellular interface. Inother embodiments, the beacon interface shares part of the circuitry ofa non-cellular interface or a cellular interface. Alternatively, thebeacon interface may be an isolated circuitry independent of a cellularinterface and independent of a non-cellular interface, such as, by wayof non-limiting examples, devices under standards of IEEE 802.11pstandard, LTE-Direct, and FlashLinQ.

Virtual Interface

In some embodiments, the media, devices, networks, systems, and methodsdescribed herein include using an interface of a wireless device forcellular, non-cellular, and/or beaconing communications. An interfacemay be a hardware module, software module, or a combination of hardwareand software modules. However, appropriately controlling the interfaceand scheduling various tasks running on the interface can virtuallycreate multiple interfaces on the wireless device, allowing theinterface to simultaneously execute different tasks. The tasks include,by way of non-limiting examples, transmitting/receiving beacon signals,establishing wireless links, maintaining wireless links, routing dataframes, switching data frames, directing data frames, readdressing dataframes, reassembling data frames, and handling one or more protocols.The tasks may be realized by another hardware module, or they may beimplemented by a software module.

FIG. 1 shows non-limiting embodiments of virtual interfaces. Anon-cellular/wireless interface 102 contains common resources 110 forthe purpose of non-cellular communication, which include, by way ofnon-limiting examples, signal processors, antennas, oscillators,resonators, amplifiers, transmitters, receivers, modulators,demodulators, encoders, decoders, logic components, and/or busconnections. The subject matter described herein can configure thecommon resources 110 to perform multiple tasks in parallel. This processis equivalent to creating virtual non-cellular interfaces 104, 106, and108, where each virtual non-cellular interface can execute anindependent task. By way of non-limiting examples, the virtual interface104 can connect to a non-cellular access point using the STA protocol,the virtual interface 106 can connect to a wireless device using theP2P-GO or P2P-Client protocol, and the virtual interface 108 can connectto another wireless device using the AP or STA protocol. Those of skillin the art can recognize various communication protocols to beimplemented on a virtual interface.

Referring to FIG. 1, a cellular interface 112 contains common resources120 for the purpose of cellular communication. The resources mayinclude, by way of non-limiting examples, signal processors, antennas,oscillators, resonators, amplifiers, transmitters, receivers,modulators, demodulators, encoders, decoders, logic components, and/orbus connections. The subject matter described herein can configure thecommon resources 120 to perform multiple tasks in parallel. This processis equivalent to creating virtual cellular interfaces 114, 116, and 118,where each virtual cellular interface can execute an independent task.By way of non-limiting examples, the virtual interface 114 can connectto a cellular base station using the HSPA protocol, the virtualinterface 116 can connect to another cellular base station using LTEprotocol, and the virtual interface 118 can perform a beaconing task.

With reference to FIG. 1, similar to wireless interface and cellularinterface, a beacon interface 122 contains common resources 130 for thepurpose of establishing and maintaining cellular and non-cellularcommunication. The resources may include, by way of non-limitingexamples, signal processors, antennas, oscillators, resonators,amplifiers, transmitters, receivers, modulators, demodulators, encoders,decoders, logic components, and/or bus connections. The subject matterdescribed herein can configure the common resources 130 to performmultiple tasks in parallel. This process is equivalent to creatingvirtual beacon interfaces 124, 126, and 128, where each virtual beaconinterface can execute an independent task. By way of non-limitingexamples, the virtual interface 124 can broadcast the current cellularsignal strength, the virtual interface 126 can receive beacons fromother wireless devices, and the virtual interface 128 can send out ahopping request.

Wireless Links

In some embodiments, the media, devices, networks, systems, and methodsdescribed herein comprise establishing and/or maintaining a wirelesslink. Establishing/maintaining a wireless link may be performed by aninterface or by a virtual interface. Concurrentlyestablishing/maintaining two or more wireless links may be performed bytwo or more virtual interfaces that are configured on a singleinterface. Establishing/maintaining a wireless link comprisestransmitting wireless signals and receiving wireless signals until theend of a communication session. Establishing/maintaining a wireless linkcomprises transmitting wireless signals and receiving wireless signalsuntil the end of a communication session. Transmitting wireless signalsincludes, but not limited to, dissembling data files into data packets,encoding the data, modulating bit streams, and/or generatingelectromagnetic waves. Receiving wireless signals includes, but notlimited to, receiving electromagnetic waves, demodulating waves,decoding bit streams, and/or assembling data packets into data files. Infurther embodiments, establishing wireless links may be conditioned onsome conditions. By way of non-limiting examples, suitable conditionsare battery life, bandwidth usages, device types, node-state signals,levels of mobility, time of day, subscription fees, user profiles,non-cellular signal strengths, cellular signal strengths, noise levels,and/or interference levels. By way of non-limiting examples, a batterylife may include an amount of energy available, an amount of batterystorage capacity, an amount of remaining unexhausted energy, anestimated use of time/energy for conducting hopping, the current usagepattern of batteries, an absolute amount of energy stored, an amount offluid remaining in a reservoir (e.g., an amount of hydrogen or methanein a fuel cell). By way of non-limiting examples, bandwidth usages mayinclude available bandwidth for establishing wireless links, an uplinkavailable bandwidth, a downlink available bandwidth, and an estimatedusage of bandwidth; the aforementioned bandwidths include cellularbandwidths and non-cellular bandwidths. By way of non-limiting examples,a device type may include a machine type (e.g., phone, tablet computingdevice, laptop, server, desktop computer), a number of processor cores,an amount of memory in the device, a number of antennas coupled to acellular interface of the device, a number of antennas coupled to anon-cellular interface of the device, and an operating system type. Byway of non-limiting examples, a node-state signal (e.g., a beaconsignal) may contain information regarding a number of hops between thedevice and a cellular base station, an identifier of a cellular networkoperator, signal strength of a cellular base station at a gateway deviceor at a sink device, a location of the device, movement of the device,available cellular/non-cellular bandwidth for hopping, a number of hops,estimated path loss, a channel quality indicator, a number of cellularbase stations available, a ratio of energy-per-bit to noise-per-bit,signal quality, an RSSI value, an RCPI value, and a number of wirelessdevices already participating in a channel. By way of non-limitingexamples, a level of mobility may include sensing through components ofa wireless device, detecting position and changes of position, andcalculating a Doppler shift of wireless signals received by the wirelessdevice. By way of non-limiting examples, a time of day may include thetime relative to usage profiles and a time relative to busy hours. Byway of non-limiting examples, subscription fees may include an amountthat the device user has promised to pay a cellular network operator. Byway of non-limiting examples, user profiles may include user behaviors,a user's relationship with the cellular network operator, a type ofcustomer (e.g., long-term customer, or pay-on-the go customer), and anumber of years having used the network service provider. By way ofnon-limiting examples, an interference level may include cellularinterference levels and non-cellular interference levels.

In some embodiments, a wireless device requests another device to relaya cellular communication. The request may explicitly send out a signal,or may be embedded in a protocol. The request may be implemented in thephysical level or in the software level. The request may be conditionedon some of the aforementioned conditions.

Sink Device

In some embodiments, the media, devices, networks, systems, and methodsdescribed herein include a wireless device as a sink device. Referringto FIG. 2, a sink device is the wireless device 202 that has a directwireless link to a cellular base station 204. Configuring thenon-cellular/wireless interface can create two or more virtualnon-cellular interfaces. In further embodiments, one virtualnon-cellular interface may be used to communicate with a Wi-Fi basestation 203 or a non-cellular access point. The other virtualnon-cellular interface may be used to communicate to a downstreamwireless device 201. In certain embodiments, the wireless link to thewireless device 201 is to allow the wireless device 201 to participatein the hybrid network and transfer data between devices 201 and 202.Alternatively, the sink device 202 uses one of its virtual non-cellularinterface to relay a cellular communication between the wireless device201 and the cellular base station 204, wherein relaying the cellularcommunication comprises: establishing and maintaining a wireless linkbetween wireless devices 201 and 202; establishing and maintaining abridge internal to the device 202 between the cellular interface andnon-cellular interface; and establishing and maintaining a wireless linkbetween the cellular interface and the cellular base station 204. Insome embodiments, the sink device can relay two or more other wirelessdevices.

In the embodiments where a sink device relays a cellular communication,the devices contains a module to perform internal data transfer byreassembling one or more data frames received at the virtualnon-cellular interface into a format defined by the protocol used in thecellular interface, and forwarding the reassembled data frames to thecellular interface.

In some embodiments, the distinct links to virtual non-cellularinterfaces of a sink device can run on a same protocol or differentprotocols. In some embodiments, some criteria may be considered for asink device to relay a cellular communication. By way of nonlimitingexamples, suitable criteria comprise one or more of the following: abattery life, a bandwidth usage, a device type, a node-state signal, alevel of mobility, a time of day, a subscription fee, a user profile, anon-cellular signal strength, a cellular signal strength, a noise level,and an interference level.

Referring to FIG. 3, in some embodiments, a sink device 302 may furthercomprise a beacon interface BI that is concurrently configured to sendand receive beacon signals. In these embodiments, the beacon interfaceis part of a non-cellular interface, part of a cellular interface, or anindependent circuitry. In the cases where the beacon interface is thesame as the non-cellular interface, the concurrent uses of thenon-cellular interface are to establish and maintain additional wirelesslinks to perform beacon signaling. In some embodiments, the beaconsignal comprises one or more of the following: a battery life, abandwidth usage, a device type, a node-state signal, a level ofmobility, a time of day, a subscription fee, a user profile, anon-cellular signal strength, a cellular signal strength, a noise level,and an interference level.

Originating Device

In some embodiments, the media, devices, networks, systems, and methodsdescribed herein include a wireless device as an originating device.Referring to FIG. 4, an originating device is the wireless device 401that has no optimal data communication to a cellular base station 403and that is an end terminal in the path of its cellular communication tothe cellular base station 403. Configuring the non-cellular/wirelessinterface can create two or more virtual non-cellular interfaces. Infurther embodiments, one virtual non-cellular interface may be used tocommunicate with a Wi-Fi base station 404 or a non-cellular accesspoint. The other virtual non-cellular interface may be used tocommunicate to an upstream wireless device 402. In some cases, thewireless connection to the wireless device 402 is to transfer databetween devices 401 and 402. In other cases, the wireless link to thewireless device 402 is to request the wireless device 402 to relay acommunication to a further wireless device, a non-cellular access point,or a cellular base station 403. In some embodiments, the originatingdevice configures its non-cellular interface to concurrently connect totwo or more other wireless devices.

In some embodiments, the distinct links to virtual non-cellularinterfaces of an originating device can run on a same protocol or ondifferent protocols. In some embodiments, some criteria may beconsidered for an originating device to relay a cellular communication.By way of nonlimiting examples, suitable criteria comprise one or moreof the following: a battery life, a bandwidth usage, a device type, anode-state signal, a level of mobility, a time of day, a subscriptionfee, a user profile, a non-cellular signal strength, a cellular signalstrength, a noise level, and an interference level.

Referring to FIG. 5, in some embodiments, an originating device 501 mayfurther comprise a beacon interface BI that is concurrently configuredto send and receive beacon signals. In these embodiments, the beaconinterface is part of a non-cellular interface, part of a cellularinterface, or an independent circuitry. In the cases where the beaconinterface is the same as the non-cellular interface of an originatingdevice, the concurrent uses of the non-cellular interface areestablishing one or more wireless links and performing beacon signaling.In some embodiments, the beacon signal comprises one or more of thefollowing: a battery life, a bandwidth usage, a device type, anode-state signal, a level of mobility, a time of day, a subscriptionfee, a user profile, a non-cellular signal strength, a cellular signalstrength, a noise level, and an interference level.

Relaying Device

In some embodiments, the media, devices, networks, systems, and methodsdescribed herein include a wireless device as a relaying device.Referring to FIG. 6, a relaying device is the wireless device 602 thatis an intermediary device in a communication path. Configuring thenon-cellular/wireless interface can create two or more virtualnon-cellular interfaces. In further embodiments, one virtualnon-cellular interface may be used to communicate with downstreamwireless device 601, and the other may be used to communicate with anupstream wireless device 603. In some cases, the wireless connections towireless devices 601 and 603 are for the purpose of data transfer. Inother cases, the wireless links to the wireless devices 601 and 603 areto complete a cellular communication between device 601 and cellularbase station 604.

In some embodiments, the distinct links to virtual non-cellularinterfaces of a relaying device can run on a same protocol. By way ofnon-limiting examples, suitable protocol options are IEEE 802.11standards, AP/AP protocols, STA/STA protocols, IBSS/IBSS protocols,P2P-GO/P2P-GO protocols, and P2P-Client/P2P-Client protocols. In someother embodiments, the distinct links to virtual non-cellular interfacesof a relaying device can run on different protocols. By way ofnon-limiting examples, suitable protocol options are IEEE 802.11standards, AP/STA protocols, AP/IBSS protocols, STA/IBSS protocols,AP/P2P-Client protocols, AP/P2P-GO protocols, P2P-GO/STA protocols,STA/P2P-Client protocols, P2P-GO/IBSS protocols, P2P-Client/IBSSprotocols, and P2P-GO/P2P-Client protocols. Those of skill in the artcan recognize various protocols to be combined in the examples. FIG. 6shows embodiments where the links to the relaying device 602 havedifferent protocols. The relaying device 602 creates an internaltransfer mechanism to connect the links to devices 601 and 603. Theinternal transfer comprises reassembling one or more data framesreceived from one device 601/603 into a format defined by the protocolused in the other wireless link to device 603/601 and forwarding thereassembled data frames to the device 603/601. By way of a non-limitingexample, the link between devices 601 and 602 may operate the IBSSprotocol, while the link between device 602 and 603 may run on theAP/STA protocols.

Referring to FIG. 8, the relaying device is the wireless device 802 thatis an intermediary device in a communication path. Configuring thenon-cellular/wireless interface can create two or more virtualnon-cellular interfaces. Furthermore, one virtual non-cellular interfacemay be used to communicate with a Wi-Fi base station 805, and the othermay be used to communicate with a downstream wireless device 801 and anupstream wireless device 803. In some cases, a wireless connection to awireless device, 801 or 803, is for the purpose of data transfer. Insome other cases, the wireless links to the wireless devices 801 and 803are to complete a cellular communication between device 801 and cellularbase station 804.

In some embodiments where a relaying device connects to a non-cellularbase station or an access point while relaying two other wirelessdevices, the three wireless links can run on a same protocol ordifferent protocols. Referring to FIG. 8, the relaying links betweendevices 801 and 803 use a same protocol, but the link to Wi-Fi basestation 805 uses a different protocol. By way of a non-limiting example,the link between device 802 and Wi-Fi base station 805 may run on theSTA protocol, while the links of the device 802 to devices 801 and 803may operate the IBSS protocol. The virtual non-cellular interface forthe relaying purpose is similar to a router to transfer the signalsbetween devices 801 and 803.

In some embodiments like FIG. 10, two virtual non-cellular interfacesare created to operate two different protocols. The link to Wi-Fi basestation 1005 and the link to the upstream device 1003 use a sameprotocol and share the same virtual non-cellular interface. The link todownstream device 1001 uses a different protocol. By way of anon-limiting example, the links of the device 1002 to the Wi-Fi basestation 1005 and the upstream device 1003 may run on the STA protocol,while the link between the devices 1002 and 1001 may operate the APprotocol.

Illustrated in FIG. 12 are embodiments where each of the links of arelaying device 1202 to other devices (i.e., Wi-Fi base station 1205 anddevices 1201 and 1203) uses a distinct virtual interface to operate aprotocol. By way of a non-limiting example, the link between the device1202 and Wi-Fi base station 1205 may use the same STA protocol as thelink between the device 1202 and the upstream device 1203, while thelink between the devices 1202 and 1201 may use another protocol AP. Inthe embodiments shown in FIG. 12, three virtual non-cellular interfacesare created on a single non-cellular interface to operate threeindependent links. Since the links to the downstream wireless devices1201 and upstream devices 1203 use distinct protocols, an internaltransfer is added to reassemble one or more data frames received fromdevices 1201/1203, and forward the new data frames to devices 1203/1201.

The relaying devices in embodiments illustrated in FIG. 6, FIG. 8, FIG.10, and FIG. 12, may further comprise a beacon interface that isconcurrently configured to send and receive beacon signals, illustratedin FIG. 7, FIG. 9, FIG. 11, and FIG. 13, respectively. In theseembodiments, the beacon interface of the relaying device 702, 902, 1102,or 1302 is part of a non-cellular interface, part of a cellularinterface, or an independent circuitry. In the cases where the beaconinterface is the same as the non-cellular interface, the concurrent usesof the non-cellular interface are to establish and maintain one or morewireless links and perform beacon signaling. In some embodiments, thebeacon signal comprises one or more of the following: a battery life, abandwidth usage, a device type, a node-state signal, a level ofmobility, a time of day, a subscription fee, a user profile, anon-cellular signal strength, a cellular signal strength, a noise level,and an interference level.

Non-Transitory Computer Readable Storage Medium

In some embodiments, the media, devices, networks, systems, and methodsdisclosed herein include one or more non-transitory computer readablestorage media encoded with a program including instructions executableby the operating. In further embodiments, a computer readable storagemedium is a tangible component of a digital processing device. In stillfurther embodiments, a computer readable storage medium is optionallyremovable from a digital processing device. In some embodiments, acomputer readable storage medium includes, by way of non-limitingexamples, CD-ROMs, DVDs, flash memory devices, solid state memory,magnetic disk drives, magnetic tape drives, optical disk drives, cloudcomputing systems and services, and the like. In some cases, the programand instructions are permanently, substantially permanently,semi-permanently, or non-transitorily encoded on the media.

Computer Program

In some embodiments, the media, devices, networks, systems, and methodsdisclosed herein include at least one computer program, or use of thesame. A computer program includes a sequence of instructions, executablein the digital processing device's CPU, written to perform a specifiedtask. Computer readable instructions may be implemented as programmodules, such as functions, objects, Application Programming Interfaces(APIs), data structures, and the like, that perform particular tasks orimplement particular abstract data types. In light of the disclosureprovided herein, those of skill in the art will recognize that acomputer program may be written in various versions of variouslanguages.

The functionality of the computer readable instructions may be combinedor distributed as desired in various environments. In some embodiments,a computer program comprises one sequence of instructions. In someembodiments, a computer program comprises a plurality of sequences ofinstructions. In some embodiments, a computer program is provided fromone location. In other embodiments, a computer program is provided froma plurality of locations. In various embodiments, a computer programincludes one or more software modules. In various embodiments, acomputer program includes, in part or in whole, one or more webapplications, one or more mobile applications, one or more standaloneapplications, one or more web browser plug-ins, extensions, add-ins, oradd-ons, or combinations thereof.

Mobile Application

In some embodiments, a computer program includes a mobile applicationprovided to a wireless device. In some embodiments, the mobileapplication is provided to a mobile digital processing device at thetime it is manufactured. In other embodiments, the mobile application isprovided to a mobile digital processing device via the computer networkdescribed herein.

In view of the disclosure provided herein, a mobile application iscreated by techniques known to those of skill in the art using hardware,languages, and development environments known to the art. Those of skillin the art will recognize that mobile applications are written inseveral languages. Suitable programming languages include, by way ofnon-limiting examples, C, C++, C#, Objective-C, Java™, Javascript,Pascal, Object Pascal, Python™, Ruby, VB.NET, WML, and XHTML/HTML withor without CSS, or combinations thereof.

Suitable mobile application development environments are available fromseveral sources. Commercially available development environmentsinclude, by way of non-limiting examples, AirplaySDK, alcheMo,Appcelerator®, Celsius, Bedrock, Flash Lite, .NET Compact Framework,Rhomobile, and WorkLight Mobile Platform. Other development environmentsare available without cost including, by way of non-limiting examples,Lazarus, MobiFlex, MoSync, and Phonegap. Also, mobile devicemanufacturers distribute software developer kits including, by way ofnon-limiting examples, iPhone and iPad (iOS) SDK, Android™ SDK,BlackBerry® SDK, BREW SDK, Palm® OS SDK, Symbian SDK, webOS SDK, andWindows® Mobile SDK.

Those of skill in the art will recognize that several commercial forumsare available for distribution of mobile applications including, by wayof non-limiting examples, Apple® App Store, Android™ Market, BlackBerry®App World, App Store for Palm devices, App Catalog for webOS, Windows®Marketplace for Mobile, Ovi Store for Nokia® devices, Samsung® Apps, andNintendo® DSi Shop.

Standalone Application

In some embodiments, a computer program includes a standaloneapplication, which is a program that is run as an independent computerprocess, not an add-on to an existing process, e.g., not a plug-in.Those of skill in the art will recognize that standalone applicationsare often compiled. A compiler is a computer program(s) that transformssource code written in a programming language into binary object codesuch as assembly language or machine code. Suitable compiled programminglanguages include, by way of non-limiting examples, C, C++, Objective-C,COBOL, Delphi, Eiffel, Java™, Lisp, Python™, Visual Basic, and VB .NET,or combinations thereof. Compilation is often performed, at least inpart, to create an executable program. In some embodiments, a computerprogram includes one or more executable complied applications.

Software Modules

In some embodiments, the media, devices, networks, systems, and methodsdisclosed herein include software, server, and/or database modules, oruse of the same. In view of the disclosure provided herein, softwaremodules are created by techniques known to those of skill in the artusing machines, software, and languages known to the art. The softwaremodules disclosed herein are implemented in a multitude of ways. Invarious embodiments, a software module comprises a file, a section ofcode, a programming object, a programming structure, or combinationsthereof. In further various embodiments, a software module comprises aplurality of files, a plurality of sections of code, a plurality ofprogramming objects, a plurality of programming structures, orcombinations thereof. In various embodiments, the one or more softwaremodules comprise, by way of non-limiting examples, a web application, amobile application, and a standalone application. In some embodiments,software modules are in one computer program or application. In otherembodiments, software modules are in more than one computer program orapplication. In some embodiments, software modules are hosted on onemachine. In other embodiments, software modules are hosted on more thanone machine. In further embodiments, software modules are hosted oncloud computing platforms. In some embodiments, software modules arehosted on one or more machines in one location. In other embodiments,software modules are hosted on one or more machines in more than onelocation.

Databases

In some embodiments, the media, devices, networks, systems, and methodsdisclosed herein include one or more databases, or use of the same. Inview of the disclosure provided herein, those of skill in the art willrecognize that many databases are suitable for storage and retrieval ofbattery life, bandwidth usages, types of devices, levels of mobility,time of day, subscription fees, user profiles, non-cellular signalstrengths, cellular signal strengths, noise levels, and interferencelevels.

EXAMPLES

The following illustrative examples are representative of embodiments ofthe software applications, systems, networks, devices, and methodsdescribed herein and are not meant to be limiting in any way.

Example 1 Multi-Hop, Hybrid Network Deployment

FIG. 14 shows a laboratory layout where the subject matter describedherein was embodied. Referring to FIG. 14, wireless devices 1, 2, 3, . .. , 50 with built-in cellular and Wi-Fi interfaces were deployed aroundthe laboratory. The laboratory was in the sixth floor in a high risebuilding. There were offices, cubicles, conference rooms, and elevatorsin the laboratory environment. Due to signal scattering, decay andinterference, some devices had good cellular signals; furthermore, somedevices had poor cellular signals or had no access to cellular basestations.

In this example, the software developed in the subject matter wasdistributed to all the wireless devices in the laboratory. Based on oneor more of the criteria (battery life, bandwidth usage, signal strength,noise level, and interference level), the wireless devices automaticallyconfigured themselves as sink devices, relaying devices, or originatingdevices. The concurrent uses of Wi-Fi interfaces automatically assembledthe devices into a hybrid network and executed multi-hopping protocolsto carry out cellular communications. When a device had a very lowsignal level and had no other devices in the neighborhood for relayingits cellular communications, it was placed in the idle status.

Example 2 Performance Evaluation: Signal Strength in All Devices

This example considered the network deployment in Example 1 to evaluatethe performance. Without using the subject matter described herein, manydevices with very low cellular signals cannot transmit data in thecellular network. After using the subject matter described herein, thesedevices can conduct cellular communication by hopping to other devices.The increased cellular coverage was one of the phenomenal advantages.

The evaluation was further based on signal strength measurements. Theevaluation simulated a common user behavior by sending a request to aweb server in order to download a 25 MB data file, where both uplinksand downlinks were made through cellular communication channels. Withina nine hour period from 8 am to 5 pm on a test day, each wireless devicerepeated the process of sending the request and downloading the 25 MBfile until the end of the test. Every 1 minute, the wireless devicesrecorded the signal strengths. Note that in the hopping system, anoriginating device may have no cellular signal (or a very weak cellularsignal) when it is directly linked to a cellular base station; howeverit hopped to a sink device to share the cellular signals of the sinkdevice, so the signal strength obtained by the originating devices canbe recorded.

In the laboratory there was a second set of same wireless devices as abaseline, which was deployed in the same layout as the test set ofdevices. The baseline set of devices had no capability to concurrentlyuse the Wi-Fi interface. In other words, without concurrent use of theWi-Fi chipset, a sink device with direct links to cellular base stationswas not allowed to relay cellular signals from one or more originatingdevice. The identical evaluation procedure was replicated to thebaseline set of devices.

FIG. 15 plots the average signal strengths of all devices in the twoexperimental conditions. With reference to FIG. 15, the line withdiamond symbols corresponds to the performance of the subject matterdescribed herein, and the line with square symbols corresponds to thecellular communication without concurrent use of Wi-Fi interfaces. Theplots showed that the subject method achieved average −70 dB signalstrength across the test day, but the method without concurrent use ofWi-Fi interfaces only achieved average −73 dB signal strength.

In addition to average signal strength in all devices, the performanceevaluation was further conducted on the originating devices only. Theoriginating devices in the baseline set had no cellular signals or verylow cellular signals, and they were unable to optimally establishcellular communications with cellular base stations. With concurrent useof Wi-Fi interfaces, these originating devices could acquire cellularsignals through multi-hopping. The increased signal strength in theoriginating devices was an important indicator to quantify the merits ofthe subject matter. FIG. 16 displays the signal strengths in the testset and the baseline set of originating devices. The plots in FIG. 16prove that the signal strength with concurrent use of Wi-Fi interfaceswas superior to the baseline signal strength. The average signalstrength based on concurrent use of Wi-Fi interfaces achieved the levelof −65 dB, but the signal strength without concurrent use was only −74dB. The average signal gain was about 9 dB.

Besides measuring signal strengths, the signal gains acquired inindividual wireless devices were measured. FIG. 17 shows the signalgains in individual devices over the test day, where the minima, themaxima, and the average gains are plotted. From this figure, it is easyto visualize that the 9 dB signal gains were homogeneously across allthe devices.

Example 3 Channel Capacity Evaluation

This example aimed at measuring the channel capacity for data transfer.We placed a set of 30 mobile phones in the laboratory, as shown in thelayout in FIG. 18. The subject software was installed in the mobilephones to concurrently utilize the Wi-Fi interfaces for cellularcommunication. Each mobile phone was tested for a period of 30 minutes.During the test period, the mobile phone repeated the following sequenceof tasks: randomly delaying 5-35 seconds, downloading a 5 MB file,randomly delaying 5-20 seconds, and uploading the file. Similar toprevious examples, a second set of mobile phones without concurrent usesof Wi-Fi interfaces were deployed as baseline. FIG. 19 displays themeasurements of empirical channel capacities of wireless device. Thissubject matter achieved 4.1 GB data capacity, greater than the baselineby 13.7%.

In addition to channel capacity, another evaluation was to measure thedata rate by modulation schemes. We considered the number of phonesusing a higher degree of quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM). Based onsignal strength, noise level and interference level, the phones wereable to adapt themselves to use one of the following modulation schemes:64-QAM, 16-QAM, and 4-QAM. Using a higher degree of modulation impliedthat the signal quality is better to transmit data at a higher rate.FIG. 20 shows that this subject matter was able to involve more phonesusing 64-QAM. This experiment demonstrates higher data rates wereachievable by the subject method.

While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown anddescribed herein, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art thatsuch embodiments are provided by way of example only. Numerousvariations, changes, and substitutions will now occur to those skilledin the art without departing from the invention. It should be understoodthat various alternatives to the embodiments of the invention describedherein may be employed in practicing the invention.

1-20. (canceled)
 21. A sink wireless device comprising: (a) a cellularinterface; (b) a non-cellular interface; (c) a beacon interface; (d) aprocessor configured to provide an application comprising: (1) a firstsoftware module configuring the cellular interface to establish andmaintain a cellular link between the cellular interface and a cellularbase station using a cellular protocol; and (2) a second software moduleconfiguring the non-cellular interface to simultaneously create a firstnon-cellular virtual interface and a second non-cellular virtualinterface, wherein the both virtual interfaces concurrently perform thefollowing tasks: (i) establishing and maintaining, by the firstnon-cellular virtual interface, a first wireless link between the firstnon-cellular virtual interface and a wireless access point using a firstwireless protocol; (ii) establishing and maintaining, by the secondnon-cellular virtual interface, a second wireless link between thesecond non-cellular virtual interface and a downstream wireless deviceusing a second wireless protocol; (iii) establishing and maintaining, bythe cellular interface and the second non-cellular virtual interface, aninternal transfer between the cellular interface and the secondnon-cellular interface, the internal transfer comprising: generating oneor more reassembled cellular data frames by reassembling one or morenon-cellular data frames received from the downstream wireless deviceinto a format defined by the cellular protocol, and forwarding thereassembled cellular data frames to the cellular base station;generating one or more reassembled non-cellular data frames byreassembling one or more cellular data frames received from the cellularbase station into a format defined by the second wireless protocol, andforwarding the reassembled non-cellular data frames to the downstreamwireless device; (3) a third software module configuring the beaconinterface to transmit one or more beacon signals, or receiving the oneor more beacon signals, or transmitting and receiving the one or morebeacon signals.
 22. The device of claim 21, wherein relaying thecellular link is contingent on one or more of: a battery life, abandwidth usage, a device type, a node-state signal, a level ofmobility, a time of day, a subscription fee, a user profile, anon-cellular signal strength, a cellular signal strength, a noise level,and an interference level.
 23. (canceled)
 24. The device of claim 21,wherein the beacon interface is part of the non-cellular interface or isthe non-cellular interface.
 25. The device of claim 21, wherein thebeacon interface is part of the cellular interface or is the cellularinterface.
 26. (canceled)
 27. The device of claim 21, wherein the one ormore beacon signals comprise one or more of: a battery life, a bandwidthusage, a device type, a node-state signal, a level of mobility, a timeof day, a subscription fee, a user profile, a non-cellular signalstrength, a cellular signal strength, a noise level, and an interferencelevel.
 28. (canceled)
 29. Non-transitory computer-readable storage mediaencoded with a computer program including instructions executable by amobile processor of a sink wireless device to create an applicationcomprising: (a) a first software module configuring a cellular interfaceto establish and maintain a cellular link between the cellular interfaceand a cellular base station using a cellular protocol; and (b) a secondsoftware module configuring a non-cellular interface to simultaneouslycreate a first non-cellular virtual interface and a second non-cellularvirtual interface, wherein the both virtual interfaces concurrentlyperform the following tasks: (1) establishing and maintaining, by thefirst non-cellular virtual interface, a first wireless link between thefirst non-cellular virtual interface and a wireless access point using afirst wireless protocol; (2) establishing and maintaining, by the secondnon-cellular virtual interface, a second wireless link between thesecond non-cellular virtual interface and a downstream wireless deviceusing a second wireless protocol; (3) establishing and maintaining, bythe cellular interface and the second non-cellular virtual interface, aninternal transfer between the cellular interface and the secondnon-cellular interface, the internal transfer comprising: generating oneor more reassembled cellular data frames by reassembling one or morenon-cellular data frames received from the downstream wireless deviceinto a format defined by the cellular protocol, and forwarding thereassembled cellular data frames to the cellular base station;generating one or more reassembled non-cellular data frames byreassembling one or more cellular data frames received from the cellularbase station into a format defined by the second wireless protocol, andforwarding the reassembled non-cellular data frames to the downstreamwireless device;
 30. The media of claim 29, wherein the first and thesecond software modules operate concurrently.
 31. (canceled) 32.(canceled)
 33. (canceled)
 34. The media of claim 29, wherein relayingthe cellular communication is contingent on one or more of: a batterylife, a bandwidth usage, a device type, a level of mobility, a time ofday, a subscription fee, a user profile, a non-cellular signal strength,a cellular signal strength, a noise level, and an interference level.35. The media of claim 29 further comprising a third software moduleconcurrently configuring a beacon interface to establish and maintain abeaconing link.
 36. The media of claim 35, wherein the beacon interfaceis part of the non-cellular interface or is the non-cellular interface.37. The media of claim 35, wherein the beacon interface is part of thecellular interface or is the cellular interface.
 38. The media of claim35, wherein the beaconing link comprises one or more beacon signals. 39.The media of claim 38, wherein the one or more beacon signals compriseone or more of: a battery life, a bandwidth usage, a device type, alevel of mobility, a time of day, a subscription fee, a user profile, anon-cellular signal strength, a cellular signal strength, a noise level,and an interference level.